Hitch Hiker Chronicels
by Dr. Eminem
Summary: Jack goes on a road trip and meets a new person who just might need his help and just might help him. NOt my ususal Experiment version. Pretty much driving, music, talking, thinking and some more driving and music.
1. Jack to the Rescue

Jack drove down the deserted dark road. He didn't know where he was going or where the road would lead him, he just wanted to escape it all. He turned the radio on as his eyes started to droop from exhaustion. He finished everything back home said goodbye to everyone and set off to the unknown location to have a real vacation for once.

All your purpose are gone

Nothing right and nothing wrong

Nothing venture nothing gained

Fill no sorrow feel no pain

Kiss me while I'm still alive

Kill me while I kiss the sky

Let me die on my own terms

Let me live and let me learn

Now I follow my own way

And I'll live on to another damn day

Freedom carries sacrifice

Looking forward and not behind

Everybody got to cross that line

Free me now

Keep me caged and free the beast

Falling faster time goes by

Fear is not seen through these eyes

What there was will never be

Now I'm blind and can not see

He was out searching for his dream life. Trying to get back what was taken from him or at least a small piece. He needed the time alone, the time to cope with everything and find himself again. When he looked in the mirror he saw two people, who he was and who he use to be, neither of them satisfying him. He needed to be the Jack of his youth, not the Jack of CTU or the Jack post Teri. He needed to be a good father, possibly a good grandfather, and a good friend or lover, whatever ended up when he found another person. He talked to Kate and they both agreed they should just be friends. Kate was not willing to wait for him any longer, and he could not speed up the process. So they settled for friends, which in reality meant if they saw each other on the street they would have an awkward hello, and maybe even the occasional call to make sure the other was still alive. Jack knew he had lost something in Kate, something he lost in Teri, but he had to loss it so he could find himself again.

He drove with all the heavy thoughts running through his mind. He could always think the best when he was driving on the open road with his music blaring. Nothing in his way, just him and the road, sometimes he thought that was the life. What his life would have been like if he was a truck driver? Just him and the road driving, no stress except the deadline, it might be worth it, but he could never sit still long enough to drive a truck. He secretly needed the action to keep him going. But like all things we need to live sometimes we need to take a break from them, and that was what he was going to do. This time he informed everyone of his plans to drive and just drive till he was out of gas. He promised he would stay in contact with them, but he knew he would only call occasionally to keep himself from going back into action. He needed time to heal the wounds he collected over the years. He knew like this he was not good for anything.

As he drove down the road he saw a young woman standing on the side of the road holding up a sign. He saw her car on the side. He pulled over knowing this wasn't the best place for anyone to be at night.

At first Jamie was afraid, she was alone on the deserted road and finally someone had pulled over, but like most women she was scared of the man not knowing his intentions.

"What seems to be the problem ma'am?" Jack said smiling at her sensing her weariness of him.

"My car broke down and I don't have a cell phone. Don't like them, I know I should buy one for these occasions but they are just a waste of money and pain in the ars. People calling you all the time, and you have no reason not to answer."

Jack laughed at her as she said this, he had thought that very thought on more than one occasion. "If you want I can give you a ride into town or you could use my cell phone to call someone."

She looked at him weighing her options, she was never one to just jump in a car with anyone, but she didn't really have the money to have her car towed and she had to get out of there quick incase Anthony caught up with her. She was a woman with little options, so she took a chance and prayed she made the right decision, "Could you give me a ride? Where are you heading too?" She asked wanting to take the ride as far away as she could.

Jack smiled at her, "I'm not really sure." He said somewhat embarrassed he was twice her age and just now going on one of those long find yourself, the journey is more important than the destination, trips.

"Well if you don't mind I can pitch in for gas and join you till you stop off somewhere. I really just want to get out of here, but this piece of sh!t just wouldn't work with me."

"How old are you?" Jack said looking at her. She was young eighteen or nineteen at the most.

"I'm twenty-one. Is that a problem?" She asked wondering what he was thinking, maybe it wasn't the best idea.

"No. I just was being cautious you look a lot younger than you really are and I wanted to make sure I wasn't helping you run away or anything like that." Jack said embarrassed again.

"Nothing like that. I promise. . " She paused for him to fill in the blank with his name.

"Jack. Jack Bauer."

"I'm Jamie. Just let me get my stuff out of the car." Jamie walked to her car opened the door grabbing a disk man, a book bag, suitcase, and a CD binder. She put her stuff in the back seat with Jack's duffel bag and sat in the front with her disk man.

She sat nervous in the front seat fiddling with her disk man head phones. She hated the silence that consumed the car. It always was like this when she first meant someone, she couldn't figure out how to start a conversation without sounding like all she cared about herself because in reality that's all she had an idea of to talk about. She would always relate back to what someone was going through with something she had gone through in order to make conversation, but in the end it just sounded like she was only wanting to talk about herself. She opted for silence in most incidents, especially when she found the person to be attractive, as the man who was driving was. She couldn't stand the silence anymore, "Do you think I could put a CD in?" She asked referring to the CD player.

"Uhm. Sure." Jack said wondering what he would be listening to. He could handle most music, but there were the few he just couldn't stand. He glanced over every now and than to steal a glance at the young woman. He was sure she was lying about her age she looked way to young to be twenty-one, but than most women lied about their age usually they made themselves younger.


	2. I do it for the Drugs

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AUTHOR NOTE: CHASE AND CHASE OF 24 are two complete different people with the same name duh cuz Chase would be too young to be in the part of the story.

Some days I sit staring out the window

Watching this world pass me by

Sometimes I think there's nothing to live for

I almost break down and cry

Sometimes I think I'm crazy

I'm crazy o so crazy

Why am I here am I just wasting my time

But than I see my baby suddenly I'm not crazy

It all makes sense when I look into her eyes

Marshal Mathers, also known as Eminem the infamous rapper that stirs up controversy with every new song came over the stereo. Jack like most older white men his age didn't like rap, but the lyrics were something he could identify with. He had felt the same way about life on more than one occasion, and he understood the ability of that little child making him feel so much better. When Kim was younger he would come home from a long day at work, or even a mission and just watch her sleep or if she were awake just watch her play. When she was really little he would hold her and look into her eyes, and he knew that his life had meant something because he helped bring her into this world. He promised himself he would never let her loose the innocence that all children posess. Nothing was ever going to touch her, he knew he failed on that promise more than once.

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Jamie looked over and felt foolish because she knew there was no possibility that he would like this music. She had burned the CD before she left home to move in with Anthony, so she just changed to the next song.

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Been scared and lonely

I've asked myself is there something wrong with you

My girlfriend told me

I need some time alone to deal with issues

But something makes me carry on

It's difficult to understand why I always want to fly  
I do it for the drugs

I do it just to feel alive

I do it for the love

That I get from the bottom of a bottle

Jamie loved the song it explained her life. She had lied about her age she wasn't twenty one yet she still had some time left over, but she had already learned the joys of alcohol. She learned well from her parents and later from her friends. She knew the feeling of finishing of another bottle of alcohol whether it be Southern Comfort, Bacardi, or Smirfof Vodka, either way when you reached the bottom of that fifth nothing could touch you anymore, at least not as long as you were under it's influence. Everything seemed limitless, life lasted forever and nothing would stop you. You could achieve almost anything, and the troubles of the day were gone for now. That was the love from the bottom of the bottle.

You always call me and ask me how I make it through the day   
I'm always falling   
I guess it's just god way of making me pay   
But something makes me carry on   
It's difficult to understand why I always want to fly   
I do it for the drugs   
I do it just to feel alive   
I do it for the love   
That I get from the bottom of a bottle   
I do it for the drugs   
I do it just to feel alive   
I do it for the love   
That I get from the bottom of a bottle

Jamie wanted to escape the life she had been living, it was leading her no where and she knew it. There was one little problem with every good thing she did there was an equal or greater evil thing to accompany it. She had a good job, but then there was Anthony who would not let her leave him. But no matter how bad things got and no matter how mush she wanted death to come she could never actually kill herself. She tried once or twice but each time she failed after that she just gave up because she couldn't do anything right.

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And I I wonder why I try   
And I I wonder why I bother   
And I I wonder why I cry   
Why I go through all this trouble   
I do it for the drugs   
I do it just to feel alive   
I do it for the love   
That I get from the bottom of a bottle

She looked over at the stranger who she had jumped to accept a ride from. She looked at him in awe he was handsome, handsome didn't cover it she thought. She always found it weird that she had been attracted to older men. The youngest she had ever been attracted too was her friend and it wasn't the type of attraction she usually had, it was a more of a I wonder what it would be like thing. She almost laughed to herself, she had taken a few psychology course last year in college and she knew why she was attracted to older men, or at least what most psychologist would say. She had lost her father at a young age, and she didn't really have a stable father figure or a family life for that matter for quite awhile so now as a grown woman she needed that father figure still to complete that stage in her development she never got to complete, therefore she's attracted to older men, who could quite possibly be her father.

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She noticed his eyes slightly droop, he must be tired she looked at the clock on the dashboard it was very late. She sat nervous unsure if she should as him if he wanted her to take over after contemplating it for awhile she began, "Uhm Jack if you want I could drive for awhile." She could barely believe the words were coming out of her mouth.

"No that's ok." He said not really wanting to stop off for the night nor give a stranger the wheel of his car.

"I'm not going to wreck it or rob you Jack." She knew what he was thinking because she would have thought the same thing. "You look tired. If you want we can stop for the night and I'll pay for a hotel room. But really you look as if your going to fall asleep any moment, and truthfully I don't exactly want to die in a car accident tonight. Maybe tomorrow just not tonight." She joked, something she use to do when she had friends.

"I need to find a gas station than I'll let you take over." Jack said looking at her, hoping he wouldn't regret this later. A part of him trusted her, she was younger than Kim, even if she claimed to be over twenty one he knew she wasn't, she couldn't do to much harm and he never really slept hard so if she did try something he'd be able to stop it.

"Ok." She said excitedly. She had always felt all of her life that people never truly trusted her, and he was actually going to let her take over, which was a sign of trust. She had never really trusted anyone before nor did she plan on starting now. She knew what life was, she may be young in some people's eyes, maybe to young to make a conclusive conclusion, but she was sure of what she felt and knew. She had lived two lives worth of experience in the few years she had been around, and she knew her fair share of sorrow, guilt, grief, and just general crappiness.

Jack pulled off the highway to the first open gas station he could find. He put the car in park and said, "I'm going to pump gas and grab something to eat, would you like something?"

"No thanks." Jamie said not wanting to put the stranger out anymore. She had only about three hundred dollars to her name and she had to conserve that money for wherever she ended up at. She had a chance to start all over again, and she was going to take it and hope for the best, hope she didn't screw it all up again.

"I'll grab you a slice of pizza and a soda than." Jack said knowing the girl like himself probably had not eaten all day. His stomach was growling and he would bet that hers was also. He pumped twenty dollars worth of gas into his SUV and continued to walk inside the gas station. He bought a few slices of pizza from the all night food area, he grabbed four bottle sodas, a few bottles of water, and than paid for it all.

Jamie sat in the SUV wondering what he wanted from her? He must have expected something, no one ever does anything nice unless they want something in return, at least no one ever did anything nice for her without wanting something in return. She played with this thought as she put a new mixed CD in. She let it play and regretted her choice when the first song came over the speakers.


	3. Name The past haunts us

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Even though the moment past me by

I still can't turn away

I saw the dreams you never thought you loose

Tossed along the way

Letter you never meant to send

Lost and thrown away

But now I called up all the things

I never knew their name

Doesn't belong to no one that's a shame

You could hide beside me

Maybe for awhile

And I won't tell no one your name

And I won't tell them your name

The song had reminded her of her friend, Staci. They had agreed that this was probably the best Goo Goo Dolls song ever. She and Staci had been inseparable since they were children. They grew up in each others houses taking turns sleeping at each others house, one night at Stacis the next at Jamie's. They had two mothers, one stepfather, and two brothers one younger the other older. In reality Jamie had a mother, and an older brother, Staci had a mother, stepfather who in all purpose was her father, and a half brother that was younger. Their parents learned quickly to let them be as they choose. They had been the best of friends through primary, middle and most of high school. They had been through the ups and downs with each other. Staci was there for Jamie when her parents got divorced than her father died, and Jamie was there for Staci when her grandfather killed himself. Neither of them kept a secret from the other, they had their fare share of fights with a day of separation followed by one of them calling the other to see what they wanted to do that day, as if the fight had never occurred the day before.

That was until senior year of high school. Jamie had grown distant from everyone. In reality she had started in the eighth grade, but she couldn't keep distant with Staci. Finally though she cut everyone off. She didn't want to be around people anymore. She needed alone time, she needed to find out what was so wrong with her life, why she couldn't be what she wanted to be. In reality she felt like there was nothing she could do anymore to try to make things right again. To her nothing had been right since her father died. Life sucks than you die, and that was ringing all too true to her.

One night while sitting on her porch she heard Karen, Staci's mom, scream from down the street. Worried that Chase might have been hurt or something bad had happened, Jamie ran to her friends house. She didn't see anyone on the main floor so she ran up to Staci's room to find her. Jamie stopped at the top of the steps. She looked on with horror and guilt.

Staci lay on the floor, blood was all over the room puddle under Staci. Jamie ran over to kneel next to Staci to apply pressure to her wrist, which had been slit open with a knife that now lay next to her. Karen was on the phone frantically telling the emergency personal what had happened. Jamie looked at her friend and she knew she was gone. There was nothing left in her eyes, she had left. Jamie took her hands away from Staci's wrist knowing it was worthless. She wiped them on her white shirt, tears in her eyes, but she forced herself to push them back down, she had to be strong for Staci's mom, Staci would have wanted it. She heard Chase, Staci's little brother coming up the stairs to see what he commotion was. Karen stared at her daughter's dead body to shocked to react. Jamie ran to the steps and grabbed Chase taking him down to the main floor.

"What's going on Jamie? Who's blood is that?"

"Shh Chase. Why don't you go next door and visits with Betty. I'll come over to get you in a few." Jamie wanted him out of the house so he wouldn't see his sister body. She knew it would be something that stayed with him forever. Chase obliged with reluctance he knew something wasn't right.

Not sure of what to do next Jamie sat at the foot of the steps listening to Karen cry. Jamie felt guilty if she had not been so wrapped up in her own little world of pain she might have been there for Staci. "I'm sorry." She said quietly to herself, as if it were good enough. Wiping the single tear that escaped from her eyes Jamie went to the phone. She had to call Chuck to let him know what had happened. She would ask him to come home than tell him.

Jamie was brought back to the here and now when she heard Jack walking back. She put on the smile, so he would think she was happy and everything was fine, something she had become accustom to doing.

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The scars a souvenirs you'll never loose

The past is never far

Did you loose yourself somewhere to there  
Did you get to be a star

Don't it make you sad to know that life

Is more than who we are

You grew up way to fast

Now there's nothing to believe

Reruns all become our history

A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio

And I won't tell no one your name

And I won't tell them your name

The song was right the past was never far and all the scars mentally and physically where souvenirs of her youth. She was still young by society standards but she felt much older. She had to grow up quickly. Her mother was never around after her father died, and when she was around she was drunk. Jamie's older brother helped raise her, and she helped him out. They had always had this weird bond. One moment they would be trying to kill each other and the next day or when no one was around again they were the best of friends. She stayed around after she turned sixteen just so she could be around him. He had saved her on more than on occasion.

She could never forget the first time she attempted suicide. Staci was still alive than, but she wasn't home she was away on vacation with her family. Something Jamie wish she could have had. But Jamie was in one of her moods and she looked at her life and just could not see how she would ever make it to her dreams, and she saw the sadness that was life. She knew no matter what she did in the end she would end up in the same spot as someone who did nothing. She had long ago gave up religion.

Religion to her was a fairy tale that was told to everyone, like Santa Claus to keep everyone in line. She had her moments where she believed in God, but than she thought about how God put her on this Earth with two bad parents and a messed up family. She was angry at God the more she learned. First of all he took her father away from her not once but twice. It started with a divorce and three months later he died. It was a double whammy hard for any four year old to take. Than there was her Uncle who was gay and by what most people would say he was in hell for his devious likings. So how could she love a God who condemned her uncle and half her family who was gay. She watched her great grandfather wither away, and later her great grandma wither away, so how could she believe in this all great man who cared for everyone? He didn't seem to care about her so fu(k him.

With this realization she looked at her wrist. It would have been easy just to slice them open both ways so she knew she would die, but she couldn't because it'd leave a bloody mess for her mother to clean up, and as much as she resented her mother she couldn't leave her a mess. The next thought was the belts she kept. She knew how to make a noose out of them and there was the bar in her closet that seemed really strong. That would work she didn't know it would take longer than expected to die. She searched her room for the right belt. When she found it she made a noose and tied one end to the bar in the closet. She choose the music to die to, she wrote the note apologizing to everyone, clearly making it so no one was to blame. She may have had a few people to blame but they would have been sad enough so she didn't need to add to that. She put her neck in the noose tightened it and than let herself fall.

When she woke up she was on the floor the bar gave in and broke. She cursed herself, she couldn't even do that right. How sad could she be unable to properly kill herself. She was looser and always would be everyone was right when they looked at her and saw the poor girl from the west side of town. She would never amount to anything nor was she able to even better herself. She sat on the floor and cried to herself for hours till she heard her mom come home from work. She wiped the tears from her eyes looked at herself in the mirror and noticed the red mark around her neck. She was not sure how she was going to hide it but it had to have an excuse otherwise her mom just might fulfill her threat to stick her in the mental institution.

When she walked downstairs her mom asked, "What did you do to your neck?"

"I was wearing my dog caller chocker and it must of given me a rash." Jamie said as if it were nothing.

"Oh. You know you look stupid trying to dress gothic. All you teenager are just stupid and ridiculous. It's not even that you like that style you just want to make a point. You are just like your father."

"How so?" Jamie asked not know much about her father.

"Never mind. Did you get the laundry done?"

"Not yet I was working on my homework for school."

"You should have got the laundry done. You are so lazy."

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I think about you all the time

But I don't need the same

It's lonely where you are

Come back down

And I wont' tell them your name

"I hope you like Pepsi and sausage pizza." He said handing her a cardboard pizza shape container with sausage pizza in it.

"Thanks." She said still smiling through the pain.

"No problem. Why don't you get out and stretch a little before you go off driving." He said trying to be helpful.

Jamie got out of the SUV and felt her legs tighten as her weight once again was on them. She loved long car trips, she just hated how her legs would get so tired from them. She walked around for awhile trying to get the blood circulations as she ate her pizza. When she finished she saw Jack was done and already back in the car. She got into the driver side, and Jack gave her a quick run down of all the different controls and than let her take off.

She drove back to the highway and than in the same direction, "Anywhere specific you want to stop at?"

"No just wake me when we get to the mountains." Jack said. He loved looking at the mountains or the ocean either one always reminded him that life still had something beautiful in it even if it could kill you.

Jamie turned the stereo down some so that the music wouldn't bother Jack, as he slept. She glanced over to notice him fighting off sleep. She smiled as she drove. Driving always had been freeing for her. No matter what was going on in her life if she could just take off in a car everything felt fine. She was in control of her life in the car she could go wherever she wanted and nothing but the amount of gas and the car could stop her.


	4. Rabbit Run Rallying Call

She cleared the sleep out of her eyes as she drove down the almost deserted highway. Jack had fallen asleep and there was almost absolutely nothing to see. She fumbled with her CD's to put one on that matched her mood, finding none she setteled for what she considered her rallying call.

Some days I just want to up and call it quits

I feel like I'm surround by a wall of bricks

Every time I go to get up I just fall in pits

My life is like one great big ball of sh!t

If I could just put it in all I spit

Instead of always trying to swallow it

Instead of staring at this wall and sh!t

While I sit writers block

Sick of all this sh!t can't call it sh!t

Every time she was angry or just not in the mood she put this CD in and listened to the song. She could understand the feeling of being at the bottom and needing to work her way to the top. She had seen the movie, 8 Mile, that the song was from and she understood a part where Marshal Mathers or as he was mostly known as Eminem said something like, "When do you stop living up here and start living down here?" She understood the feeling of needing to choose a lower level of dreams because there was no sight of the major goal. It was not going to be achieved. She had always dreamed of becoming an FBI agent. With her family history it would have been almost impossible to even get past the back ground check, but she had dreamed none the less. As a child she studied everything she could get her hands on and did everything in her power to make herself into the model FBI agent want to be. She only drank on a rare occasion, as a younger teen anger, smoked pot for one week during her I'm going to rebellious forget about the consequences faze, but she always returned back to the responsible person. She wasted most of her teen years trying to be that responsible person to show the FBI that she could be one of them and not one of her family. In the end it didn't look as if it were going to work out that way.

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All I know I'm about to hit the wall

If I have to see another one of moms alcoholic fits

This is it last straw that's all that's it

I ain't dealing with another fu(king politic

I'm like a skillet bubbling until it filters up

I about to kill it I can feel it building up

Blood is building up I've been sealed enough

My cup runth over I've done filled it up

Jack had woke up he noticed that the woman he had picked up had not noticed she was singing along with the song emotions on her face so clear. It was pained and yet a excepted saddness almost as if she had already accepted the life of a failure. He had known the look all to well as he had accepted it a long time ago. It pained him, though, to see it on someone as young as she was. Most people her age were out partying and having fun, but not her. She was out driving, running from something. He sat up trying not to get her attention. He did not want to break into whatever she was feeling. He felt as if he was intruding as he studied her.

The pen explodes and bust

Ink spills my guts

You think all I do is stand here and feel my nuts

But I'm goanna show you what

You goanna feel my rush

if you don't feel it than it must be to real to touch

I'm about to tare sh!t up

goose bumps yeah I'm goanna make your hair sit up

Yeah sit up I'm goanna tell you who I be

I'm goanna make you hate me cuz you ain't me

You ain't

It ain't to late to finally see what you closed minded fu(ks were to blind to see

Jamie continued on singing the song, or raping. She had not noticed Jack yet. Everything she felt running out of her mouth as if the person had wrote the song about her or she had wrote it. She understood the feeling so well and yet she wondered about how her story would turn out. She knew how the story of the song turned out he got everything he wanted, but she doubted her story would have the same ending. She had bad luck, if she believed in luck. She found it funny because the people who believed in luck always had decent luck and those who didn't believe in it always had bad luck. The story of her life, bad luck and nothing but trouble. Sometimes she htough she might have been better off if her mom had aborted her before she was born, but it was illegal back than and who's to say that fate might have been worse.

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Who ever finds me is goanna get a finders fee out this world

Aint no one out their mind as me

You need peace of mind here's a piece of mine

All I need is a line but sometimes

I don't always find the words to rhyme

To express how I'm really feeling at that time

It just sometimes it's always me

How dark can these hallways be

The clocks strike midnight, one two than half past three

This half as wand with this half a$$ piece of paper

I'm desperate at my desk

if I could just get the rest of this sh!t off my chest again

Stuck in a slump can't think of nothing

fu(k I'm stump oh wait here comes something

It's not good enough scribble new pad

Crinkle it up and throw that sh!t out

I'm fizzling now thought I figured it out

Balls in my court but I'm to scared to dribble it out

I'm afraid but why am I afraid

When she was getting ready to go on to the next part she noticed Jack moving in the seat. She immediately felt embarrassed about singing because she knew she had a horrible voice, and then she felt sorry because she must have woke him up. "Sorry I woke you." She said changing the song that felt so personal to her.

"You didn't wake me I hardly sleep. Only a few hours every now and than." Jack said.

"Yeah I have the same problem with sleeping. About two hours a day is all I need to keep me going." She said tapping her hand to the beat of the new song.

"Has it always been like that for you?" Jack asked trying to learn more about Jamie.

"No. How about you?"

"NO. Where you originally from?"

"You wouldn't know it."

"Try me." jack said thinking she was harder to get information from than most terrorist.

"Peoria, Illinois." She said flatly even though just naming the place hurt her.'

"That use to be a huge place back in the bootleg times."

"Yeah. If you ask any of the older men about it they say, 'The damn prohibition ruined Peoria. We were going to be the next Chicago till the damn prohibition."

Jack laughed at her impersonation of an old man. "What was it like growing up there?" He continued with his questioning. He could tell the question made her uncomfortable.

"Let's just say growing up I was not you typical kid. I had to learn very fast how to be responsible. My brother and I raised ourselves we were always there for each other till he hit puberty. But we grew up in the wrong part of town, with the wrong family, and hung out with the wrong crowd."

"Where is your brother now?"

"He works with my stepfather, he's not really my stepfather I just call him my stepfather because he has been with my mom since I was five. They work together in construction, Dan, my stepfather owns his own construction company. What do you do for a living?" She asked trying to get all the attention off of her.

"I use to work for the federal government. What does your mom do for a living?"

"She's a cook. What did you do for the federal government?" The battle ensued who could keep the attention of themselves longer.

"I worked for Counter Terrorism Unit." Jack said knowing both of them were struggling to not answer the questions.

"Really?" Jamie said with some excitement more than she had shown before.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well there has always been two dreams I've had. One was to work for the FBI behavioral science unit, and if that didn't happened I wanted to work in the anti terrorism business." She said remembering her old dreams that she still held on to when she was down so low that she couldn't see the end of the dark tunnel. (HOWS THAT FOR SOME MAJOR CLICHÉ USAGE).

"You wouldn't want to work with the FBI. I worked with a few of them and while they are descent people they just couldn't find their ars hole with a map leading to it." Jack stated in a serious voice that even made him laugh.

"That is what everyone had told me. But those were just dreams." Jamie said going back to her sad tone again.

"Why can't you do either of those? I'm guessing your still in college, and you seem like a smart girl."

"It's just not going to happen." She said flatly removing all the emotions from herself again, the wall was back up.

"Well it just might. You never know until you try."

"Why did you leave CTU?"

"I had a lot of problems because of my job and my family suffered for it."


	5. Telling the story

"Why did you leave CTU?"

"I had a lot of problems because of my job and my family suffered for it."

"That was nice of you. I don't think anyone in my family would ever do that. What is the date?" She asked all of the sudden suddenly remember what month it was and wondering if the day had passed without her remember. That would be a first, and a welcomed first.

"It's the twenty-seventh." Jack said after checking his watch for the date. He saw the sudden change in her demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Uhm do you mind if I stop off somewhere and make a phone call." Jamie said thinking about the conversation she would have, it was always the same every year.

"Sure. You can take my cell phone. We can find an all night diner and grab some food." Jack said. He didn't want to ask for to much information from her, he could see that she was like him and once he got to many questions in she might shut down and than he would not be able to find out who she was, as he could tell she was a young woman who needed help, and for once he wanted to help someone in hopes that it might help him. He was never there for Kim growing up, and he regretted and while this girl was not his daughter he could tell people had not been there for her, just in her short conversation with him he knew a lot, and could see himself in her.

"Thanks. It'll be long distance are you sure?"

"Yeah. If you don't mind may I ask who you are calling?"

She laughed she knew this would give her age away, "My mother."

"How old are you really?" Jack finally confronted her.

"I'm nineteen." She said.

"Are you telling the truth this time." Jack said a little angry.

"Yes. I only lied to you earlier because you wouldn't have let me come along if you thought I was any younger." She said defensively.

"Can I see your drivers licenses."

"You don't believe me." She said angry.

"Can I see it please."

"It's in my bag. I'll show you once we stop." She said angry wondering if she should find another ride than. But she knew a young girl like herself hitch hiking would not get to far until she ran into the wrong man.

She pulled into the first all night dinner she could find. She found her wallet and handed it to Jack. "See." She said still angry.

"Sorry I just wanted to make sure I wasn't helping you run away."

"I already told you it wasn't anything like that."

"Than what are you running from?"

Jamie wanted to scream, _My life, my future, my past, the present, Anthony, myself ,and everyone else who wants something from me. _"Nothing." She said with a straight face. "What makes you think I'm running?"

"I know what it's like to run away, and you have all the same traits. If you don't want to tell me fine, just as long as it's not the police or anything like that."

"I'm not running." Jamie said.

"Fine." Jack grabbed his cell phone out and handed it to her. "Here I'll be inside come join me when your finished."

"Thanks." Jamie said her anger lessening.

She leaned against the car looking around through the dark night making sure no one was close. She dialed the number from her childhood and waited for her mom to answer.

"Hello." Her mom's cracked whiskey voice came over.

"Hey mom's it's me."

"Jamie. It's been so long you need to call more often. Where are you?"

"I'm on the road with a friend."

"Your boyfriend Anthony called."

"We're through mom."

"Oh I never did like him. Are you coming home soon?"

"No." Jamie said. "I was just calling to see if you put flowers on dad's grave."

"Why would I do that today?"

"It's the fifteenth anniversary of his death." Jamie already dreaded the call. She wanted to be in Peoria for it just to say hello again to her death father. His grave had always been something she came back for, just to tell him what had happened and just see it so hopefully she would move on, but after fifteen years she still held on to him. He had been an ars hole, but it was her father. She had the same amount of love and hate for him, it was a weird mixture that wouldn't let her move on. She use to try to go a day without thinking about him, but he always came up. She just couldn't let go of him, everyone else already had, but she couldn't. She doubted her brother even remembered it was the day. She looked at the clock it was 1:28 three more minutes and it would be the official fifteenth anniversary.

"Honey are you still dwelling on that. When are you going to get over it. It's been fifteen years. You should have moved on by now. He wasn't as great as you think. You know he beat me and your brother, and would have you if you had not scared him that one time by pissing your pants cuz you were so scared of him." Her mom laughed about the incident over the phone, but Jamie still clearly remembered it and didn't find anything funny about a little girl being so scared of her father that she pissed her pants when he came after her.

"I better go mom." She said hanging up the phone. She noticed the tears in her eyes, no one would ever understand the need to hang on she knew it, and she knew it wasn't healthy but she could abandoned him everyone always had and she just couldn't do it.

Jack watched the event from the diner and he wanted to walk outside and put his arm around her and try to console her. He was not attracted to him, he wasn't one of those middle age men who went for the young women, he was more of a protective figure. He didn't really know her but he already felt like he had to protect her and help her.

He thought about when he was her age. He had been in the Army in some third world country protecting his country. The only thing he ever saw were other people his age on the other side he was suppose to hate and kill. He had no problem them killing them, they were going to kill him so it was not a hard choice in the end. The effects hit him later after his friends started dying. It all came crumbling down when he lead a mission where he thought all of the men had died. He later found out one survived and was tortured for almost three years until he finally escaped or got away some how. Jack felt the guilt take over and he was no longer hungry. He waited for Jamie to enter but she never did.

He paid the bill and walked out to the SUV. He opened the driver door because he saw her in the passenger side. Her hands buried in her face. That's when he heard, she was crying. He got in and said, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She did, she wanted to air our her soul tell him everything, but she still held on to the wall. She didn't know him, and the people she did know she never trusted, but she had to let it out. "I am running." She finally said through the tears. "I'm running from life, and everything else. Today is the anniversary of my fathers death. No one cares about it but me. I have this guy Anthony after me. He's my ex-boyfriend. Of course I had to follow my mom and fall in love with the drug addicts. If he finds me he'll kill me. I left college this year. I lost my last best friend from my childhood, and I couldn't handle it anymore. Everyone had expectations. Those around me expected me to be the same happy Jamie, who always did good in school. Those who weren't around me expected me to fail like everyone else in my family. Either way I couldn't meet their expectations. Both sets were asking to much or to little of me, and I know I'm suppose to just worry about myself but I can't. I have so much to prove that sometimes I just feel overwhelmed and I now I started late in the race and I can't catch up. The quicker I run the more stuff thrown at me, and the faster everyone else goes." Jamie starts to sob not feeling any better after telling a complete stranger her problems.

Jack was not sure how to help her. He understood everything all to well. "I'd like to say it's going to get better, but the truth is it'll get worse before it gets better. I lost my wife a few years ago. I thought that was the worst thing ever and sometimes I'd lie to myself and say it could only go up from there, but it didn't. I was never their for my daughter who is a stranger to me now, she left with her boy friend to live in New York or somewhere. Just last year I had to do a lot of things to save L.A. from a virus that haunt me. I've killed people in war, or doing my job and they all haunt me at night. And yet everyone expects more out of you. And sometimes I go to far to give them their expectations. I can't tell you what to do other than live through it, it has to get better eventually otherwise everyone would be unhappy."

"Life sucks than you die right?" She said as she had so many times before with her friends.

"I'm not sure it's exactly like that. Life does suck but there is always something good you just have to try hard to find the good." Jack said sprouting stuff he didn't believe himself but he could see the lost look in the girls eyes he knew all to well from his own.

"Now you think I'm crazy don't you? That's why I should just keep my mouth shut. No one really cares about anyone else. Everything we ever do is to help ourselves, even if that is not the conscious reason, unconsciously we are patting ourselves on the back for the good deed, and we need that more than the deed itself." She began to speak of what she had learned from her first year of college. The professor didn't teach it that way, but that's what she got from all the lectures.

Jack was unsure of what to say. He was partly trying to help her in an effort to help himself. She was probably right in the end there are no such things as selfless acts.

"So what about you Jack? You know what I'm running from why don't you share a little so I don't feel so damn stupid?"

"About the same as you."

"You have any family, a wife, ex-wife, ex-wives?"

"I have a daughter. I had a wife she died."

"I'm sorry." Jamie said as she had always gotten when she talked about anyone she knew who died, everyone would always say their sorry. She usually guessed and now knew it was because there was nothing else to say. "How old is your daughter?"

"I think twenty-two."

"You think?" She said.

"Yeah I haven't really been there for her. And she moved out of town last years. Got a transfer. I think in reality she just wanted to get away from me. Like I said I hadn't really been there for her, and she probably hates my guts for it."

"Jack I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Daughters never hate their fathers fully. There is an unwritten rule that no matter what there is always a little piece of you that still loves your dad no matter how fu(ked up he is or was. That's the hard thing about most of the bad father daughter relationships. You have the daughter who loves and hates her father, and it is a weird mix. It's hard to go on loving someone that you hate too." She thought of her own father. Fifteen years it has felt longer since he had been gone. It hit her like always that she would never get to patch things up with him. She would never get to see him, she had already forgotten what he looked like, the picture faded away, and she could not remember anything but bad things. Every good memory ended in something bad happening. Sometimes when she was depressed she allowed herself to believe his death was a good thing because he didn't get a chance to fu(k her up worse. Though when she came to her senses she knew that that was still a bad deal. She would have rather had him screw her up to the point she was in a mental hospital than losing him. She missed out on so much, and never had those experiences everyone has had with their father.

He friends would talk about their fathers and say how much they hated them, but in the next breath relate a good memory they had. She didn't have that memory. Her father didn't see her graduate in the top twenty percent of her class, he didn't get to see her except her Senior Honors Award, all of her Air Force Junior Reserve Officers awards all 121 of them. He didn't see anything really, and she missed him so much now. Long ago she thought she had gotten over him, but he always came back to haunt her to remind her of all she missed and all she could never have.

"You ok?" She heard Jack say.

"Yeah sorry. I zoned out again."

"How about we get a hotel room for the night sleep some." Jack said.

"Uhm I'm cool to drive."

"No you need to sleep. My treat"

Jack had to practically bother her to accept his buying her a room for the night. She did not want him to spend the money on her, nor did she want to feel like she was in debt to him. But after much debate Jack finally won when he had said it would be as a part of a payment for coming with him and driving. She could handle all of the gas and he'd get the rest of the expenses.

After finding a hotel they both went to their rooms to try to sleep. They had a long day of driving ahead of them and needed to rest. Jack could not sleep he laid awake thinking about all he had missed with Kim growing up. He had not been there and the fact of his not being there hit him harder with every new year. He hated himself for being like his father and not being around, and he hated himself more for not seeing it till she was fully grown.

Jamie lay awake thinking about her father, and her life. She was so tired of it that sometimes she thought she would be so much better off dead. There would be some minor drawl backs to it, but she wouldn't be living in the world of pain that she couldn't escape. Every time she tried to run from the pain it only chased her harder. She learned that even though alcohol helps cover it, it never makes it go away, it always comes back the next day. Trying to turn her mind of so she could sleep a night through she curled up on the bed putting her headphones on. She looked through her CD's till she found one she could sleep to Sheryl Crow.

She listened to the words as she willed sleep on. Unable to sleep, with the ghost of the past haunting her she got out of bed. She had noticed the pay phone down the hallway when they came in. She didn't have change, but she could always call collect. She always laughed when she though about calling someone collect because the only way she ever remembered to spell collect was to sing the song of the commercial 1-800-C-0-LL-ECT. She dialed the number and said her name when prompted too. She knew the person would accept the call.

"Jamie where the hell are you I've been looking all over for you."

"Anthony, I just can't do it anymore. I can be what you need or want. I have to grow up and figure out something. I can't be what we are."

"Where are you? Are you with another man? You are aren't you, you stupid cheating b!tch." He said angry.

"I'm not with anyone Anthony. And you had this coming. I told you I wouldn't let any man hit me ever. I'm not going to turn into what my mom was. I warned you."

"You should have been at home on time. Where are you? You're my girlfriend and you don't need to be out wherever you are. You should be here at home. Now tell me where you are before I get pissed off."

"No. Bye." She said hanging up feeling the tears run down her face as her heart was once again filled with fear. She knew it was stupid to call him, but she had hoped maybe he had changed or at least seen what he had done wrong and would aplogize, but he didn't even do that. She knew he would catch up with he eventually and than nothing could save her. It wouldn't be that bad, would it? She thought to herself. It wasn't like she would be killing herself. She knew he would kill her, but she wouldn't be doing it with her hands. She put the thought out of her mind. She went back to her room. She turned the Discman up:

__

I would of given you all of my heart

But there's someone whose torn it apart

And he taken just all that I have

But if you want to try to love again

Baby I'll try to love again but I know

The first cut is the deepest

Baby I know the first cut is the deepest

When come to being lucky he's first

When it come to loving me he worse

She felt the tears coming down her face quicker. She hated the song but at the same time it always brought back good memories. Most people would think she was naive to think that she at her age could have found her true love, but she knew she had. She had been in love with the same person for almost seventeen years of her life. When she was two she had her first crush on him. Even through the stage of not wanting boys she still had loved him. He had said it was the same and they were going to go to college together and than after they both got in the career they wanted if they felt the same they were going to get married. That is if she wanted it, she had said she was never the marrying type, but she would have seriously of thought about it for him.

That all came to an end, she thought bitterly. It had been late one night and he was out driving, he always did so when he had to get away from everyone. He didn't see the stop sign or something like that because he pulled out in front of a semi and was killed. She still remembered the funeral she had been such a big part of. She gave the eulogy and made most of the other arrangements with his parents. She felt her heart go when he died. She seriously had nothing left to live for. How does a person go on after they lost their soul mate. Her mother thought she was crazy for thinking she could have a soul mate so young, but she knew it was meant to be between them. It had always been that way. They were inseparable and they shared so much pain and happiness together. She could not possibly think of ever loving anyone else. She had to settle for someone else, and she settled for the no good Anthony.

She tried to sleep the rest of the night, but sleep kept evading her. She got to the point she was so desperate to sleep that she was willing to down a bottle of sleeping pills if she thought it would help. The last time she slept good was when she was drunk, and she didn't enjoy that too much because she always woke up tired still. She laid in bed willing sleep to come on.

Jack looked at the clock on the night stand it was early in the morning. He was tired, but he still could not sleep. He knew he needed sleep, but his mind just would not shut off. He sat up in the bed when he saw the first ray of light shine through, another sleepless night he thought to himself. He looked at his cell phone taunting him to call Kim or any one for that matter he had not heard or spoken to any of them in awhile. He took the cell phone and dialed Kim's number.

The phone rang three times before someone picked it up. A gruff male voice said, "Hello?" Cleary having been woken up by the phone call.

Jack didn't know what to say. He knew who it was and anger ran through him to think he would be over at Kim's house over night. Jack didn't say anything to upset to open his mouth, and he knew if he did it wouldn't help his situation.

"Hello. Who is this?" Chase said angry. "You know what time it is. You stupid punks." He slammed the phone done angry. Kim turned over, "Who was it honey?"

"Some stupid kids making prank calls. They didn't' say anything on the other line."

Jack finally turned his phone of a minute later. Mad at himself for not saying anything. He sat in his bed thinking about what to do next, it was no use in trying to sleep now. He got out of the bed and went into the bathroom. Turning the water on he got undressed to take a shower.

Jamie sat in her room and heard the water turn on next door where Jack was staying. She felt a rush knowing that they should be leaving soon, moving on again, running from the demons. She followed in Jack steps taking a shower. When she got out she walked outside and sat in the plastic chair outside the hotel. She watched the sun as it moved across the sky rising to bring morning into full effect. She missed the days of watching the sun and having no worries. She missed the pond at her college where she would sit late at night watching the stars thinking about nothing but what it would be like to actually see a star up close or even just be anywhere else. She enjoyed when her friend would come along the game anywhere but here. They would dream up the perfect place to be, anywhere but where they were at the time, or their home town.

Jack walked outside and saw Jamie sitting. "Ready to go already?"

"Yeah I couldn't sleep." She said tired, but knowing sleep would not come.

"Me neither. Let's hit the road I figure we could grab something to eat along the way." He said walking up to her.

"Cool. Let's go." She followed him to the car after checking out. She sat in the passenger seat thinking about asking him the question that had been burning on her mind, but not sure if she should ask it. It was harmless, but at the same time it said so much about her, that she didn't want to reveal to anyone. Finally irritated with herself she asked, "Do you think a person has only one soul mate? If you believe in that stuff." She said trying to act as if the answer meant nothing to her.

Jack thought about the question. If he believed in the one soul mate than he was setting himself up for a life of misery and loneliness because there was no doubt in his mind that Teri was his soul mate, but at the same time would that be right? "I think there might be more than one out there. If not than what about people who loose their soul mate early on?"

"Have you ever lost anyone?" Jamie asked not remembering about his wife.

"I lost my wife a few years back."

"Oh I'm so stupid." She said remembering it and annoyed with herself for not remembering. She hated herself at times because it felt like she always thought about herself and no one else when reality it was the direct opposite. She cared more for others than herself, and would do anything for most of the people she knew, even those she disliked. "If you don't mind me asking how did she die?"

Jack put his head back as he drove he would relive it again in hopes of helping the young woman sitting next to him. He knew she must have lost something recently something or someone that meant a lot to her, and now she was out trying to find it, and he would try to help her so she wouldn't go down the road he went. He began from the beginning how he had just gotten back with her, how they separated, he continued for a half an hour till he finished his story of how he got to where he was.

Jamie listened feeling like she had no right to feel bad about her life, it hadn't been half as bad as his. When he was finished with the story she looked at him and said, "You lived through all of this and you are here to tell it. I wish I had half your guts." She said sadly really meaning what she said, it wasn't enough for what she felt, but it was all she had to offer.

"Well I've told you my story what about yours?" Jack said trying to get her to open up to him to tell him something. "This is how I see it Jamie. We are two strangers and after this trip we'll probably never see each other again so what's the harm in opening up cuz no one will ever know." Jack prodded.

Jamie didn't know where to begin. So she told him, "I'm not sure where to begin."

"Childhood good bad ugly fun?" Jack questioned.

"Typical bad. My dad was a drug addict he wasted most of the money he and my mom made on beer and drugs. He would abuse my mom and my brother. He never really hit me much, mostly because I never talked out of fear. He and my mom split when I was young and than shortly after he died in a car accident. My mom went out after that got drunk whenever she could. She wasted most of her life with him so she was going to live it than. My brother and I raised ourselves and each other. Our house was the major hangout in the neighborhood, most of the other children in the same situation we were in. Except my friend Staci. Her mom and stepfather were there all of the time for her and me even. They had another child and never treated him different from Staci or myself. I made it through everything. Went to school got diagnosed with a learning disability that was suppose to keep me from being able to be like most children. I over came it with the help of a great teacher and now here I am reading and writing just as good if not better than some of my peers. My friend Staci killed herself and I walked in afterwards when I heard her mom screaming. I never talked to them again, her mom stepfather or brother. I felt responsible because I was going through my own problems and was not there for her. I went through high school had some rebellious times and found my friend who lived down the street most of his life asked me out. We started to see each other and had been really serous about marrying after we each go into our career of choice. He died in a car accident. Than I settled for another friend Anthony and it didn't work out."

"Is that who you are running from?"

"Sort of. He's a little possessive and I just can't be with him anymore. I want to be alone for awhile and figure out who the hell I am and if I can even make it in this world."

"What about your mother?" Jack could see himself in the girl and so much more pain in her.

"She's still around. She meant my stepfather, he's really her boyfriend they've been together since I was five so it's been awhile, but she won't remarry. They live with each other in the house I grew up in. She's means well, but she's to damn controlling and I'm to easily controlled so I stay away from her. Sometimes I think she's trying to make up for not being there when I was younger." Jamie stopped done with her story.

"You've been through a lot for someone so young. You are strong. Even if you don't see it yourself you are strong to have survived it all." Jack said not sure what to say.

And so began the uneasy silence between them. Neither of them sure what to say to the other.


	6. Crawling

They both had so much to say, but were to worried of what the other would think. Finally breaking the silence Jamie asked, "Do you like Linkin Park?"

"What is Linkin Park?"

"It's a band." Jamie laughed at Jack's question. How could he not know who Linkin Park was? They were like the best thing in music in a long time. "This is them." She said putting the CD in.

__

Crawling in my skin  
Without a sense of confidence, confidence, confidence...  
Consuming, confusing  
Crawling my skin  
Without a sense of confidence and i'm convinced that theres just too much pressure to take  
Theres something inside me that pulls beneath the surface  
  
Jack listened to the band trying not to pass judgment on them. Jamie watched him thinking he would react like every other person his age had, they are crap he would assume automatically from the one song he heard.

"You like music a lot don't you?" Jack asked still listening to the group wondering if the song had a meaning to her.

"Yeah I love it. I can't live without it. Whatever mood I'm in music is always there to help me out. It's a way of expression. I never really took the time to learn it myself, besides the drums but I gave those up a few years ago, just couldn't make myself learn them."

__

I'm crawling in my skin  
(Crawling in my skin)  
These wounds they will not heal  
(These wounds they will not heal)  
Fear is how I fall  
(Fear is how I fall)  
Confusing, confusing what is real  
Confusing what is real...  
  
Jack listened to the lyrics and he could understand the feeling of not being able to escape or let the wounds heal from the past. He was not to found of the musical part at first, but the lyrics were very real and very emotional.

"SO?" Jamie asked waiting for the usual answer.

"Not too bad. I'm not to into the new rock-rap stuff, but they are pretty good. They have some very touching lyrics." Jack said smiling at her loving the shocked look he got from her.

"Seriously?"

"Yes." Jack said smiling as he drove down the road.

__

Theres something inside me that pulls beneath the surface  
Consuming, confusing  
This lack of self-control I fear is never ending  
Controlling, I cant seem  
To find myself again  
My walls are closing in  
(Without a sence of confidence, and i'm confinced that theres just too much pressure to take)  
I've felt his way before, so insecure...  
  
Crawling in my skin  
These wounds, they will not heal  
Fear is how I fall  
Confusing what is real  
  
Discomfort endlesly as pulled itself upon me  
Distracting, reacting  
Against my will I stand beside my own reflection  
Its haunting how I cant seem  
To find myself again  
My walls are closing in  
(Without a sence of confidence, and i'm convinced that theres just too much pressure to take)  
I've felt this way before, so insecure...

"So what does the song mean to you?" Jack asked. After he said it he felt a little uncomfortable asking the question. He didn't want Jamie to think he was being nosy or anything like that.

She smiled at him, "What makes you think they mean anything to me?"

"Well there are how many songs on this CD?"

"It's _Reanimation_ so there are twenty songs."

"Out of the twenty songs you turned on the very last song, and didn't just let it play through. You also said you liked to express yourself through music, your own or others it doesn't matter."

She smiled at him, "I can tell you were a cop of some sorts at some time." She said trying to change the subject. She wanted to tell him, but at the same time a part of her was hiding as it always did.

"Let's not change the subject yet." Jack said knowing what she was trying to do, he had mastered the art a long time ago.

"Fine.:" She said out of frustration of not getting away with her hiding, "The song to me is me. I know I've very insecure and I hide as much as I can behind my walls. I won't let my wounds heal. Each time one starts to scab over I scratch the scab off by remembering whatever happened and finding something to hold onto. By doing this I never lived and therefore I lost myself a long time ago. I tried to find myself last year, but it didn't work out. I guess I'm just really good a eluding myself."

Rewarding her he began to change the subject back to himself, "I was like a cop. I worked for the Counter Terrorist Unit. Pretty much I tracked down terrorist and tried to stop them before they were successful. I've done and said a lot of things because of the job I wish I could take back . But I'm going to tell you, even though I don't really listen to my own advice, let it go. You can't live in the past or with regret because soon enough your going to wake up and your going to be forty something and have nothing to show for it."

"Did you ever wake up one day and wonder where everything went? It's like you know your going in a hole, but you don't want to know cuz you're in denial. So one day the denial ends and you wake up, and your so deep in the hole you don't know how to get out?"

"I didn't wake up one day to it. It took awhile. The day my wife died the hole became so deep I thought I might never get out. I had created the circumstances for that day to occur and when it did I couldn't do anything about it. I never felt so scared or helpless in my life till that day. Than I knew I was not going to be able to make everything ok again. I was not God or even Superman. I was just a normal man who let things go so wrong. I failed everyone."

Jamie wasn't sure what to say. She could tell Jack was not a man use to failure, but from the story he had told her she did not see how he failed. "How could you of failed. You can't control everything Jack. If you could we'd both be happy with our families that were perfect, and there'd be no pain in the world. You couldn't have stopped it, call it fate or whatever you think causes stuff to happen, we don't' always have control."

Jack smiled at her, at first he set out to help her, and hope for himself to realize something to help him, and now her she was trying to help him. "You are very mature for someone your age."

"Not always. I can be the biggest smartars you ever meant sometimes. I just act mature until I get to know you then I'm like the rest." She smiled. She enjoyed talking to him, it wasn't like the shrink her mom had made her see. He didn't force any of his ideas on her nor judge her. He just told her how it was and shared right with her. If he had not been so much older, not that it mattered to her, but she knew it would to him, she would of thought about trying to hook up with him.

"Have you heard any good jokes recently?" Jack said to break the slight uneasiness that consumed the car with the true confessions and soul telling they had been doing.

"Not to many good ones. Why are all blonde jokes so short?"

"I don't know."

"So guys can remember them." She smiled at him and was rewarded with a smile from him.

"That's probably true."

They rode in silence for awhile, the only noise was the air rushing past the car and the quiet beats coming from the stereo. Jamie felt uncomfortable again wondering what he was thinking, was he thinking she was psycho or stupid or anything for that matter.

Jack was thinking about Kim and if she had ever been like Jamie. He assumed she must have gone through something like Jamie's life, maybe not as bad, but close. His thoughts were interrupted when his cell phone rang, he grabbed it out of his pocket and looked at the number on the caller ID. He didn't recognize it, but it could be anyone he knew since he was horrible with remembering numbers. "Hello?" He said driving with one hand holding the phone to his ear.

"Who's this?" A male voice came over the phone.

"Who's this?" Jack said not knowing who it was.

"Anthony. Is Jamie there?"

Jack put his hand over his phone and asked, "Who's Anthony?"

"Sh!t how'd he get your number." Jamie said suddenly panicked.

"She's asleep can I take a message?" Jack said knowing from Jamie's look Anthony was not someone she wanted to talk to.

"Put the stupid b!tch on the phone I heard her."

"How'd you get the number?"

"None of your business Jack. Put her on the damn phone now." Anthony said angrily.

Jack hung the phone up and turned it off. What had he gotten into was his first thought, but than he felt bad because he looked over and he could see the fear coming off Jamie.

"He's going to kill me know. He's goanna think we are together. I'm dead." She said holding back tears.

"Who is he?" Jack asked knowing he was now apart of whatever was happening and he needed to get as much information as he possibly could.

"He's this guy I've been with for awhile. His fathers rich. They . . " She was so scared she felt horrible now too, because she just realized she brought Jack into it too. "His father is the leader of the Aryan Nation. I didn't know about it till I meant him. Anthony was not like he was when we first meant. They are going to track me down and kill me now."


	7. Sweet Pain

Jamie stared out the window still scared she couldn't do anything. If she

went to the cops it wouldn't matter because they'd still find a way to kill her, and they would find her eventually. She knew all about their organization and some of the things they had done, they would find her and kill her.

Jack looked at her and could see the fear seething off her. "Don't worry

they can't find you we are outside of L.A."

"Did he call you by your name?" She said still looking out the window.

"Yes how did he know my name or my number did you give it to him?"

"No. That's my point Jack, they have resources and ways of finding and

getting information. They have government connections everything they need

to find and do whatever they want." Jamie said drying the tears from her eyes.

"How do you know this" Federal Agent Jack Bauer taking over now.

"I lived with them while I was out in L.A. I over heard stuff, saw a few

people that's all and that's going to get me killed now. I should just go back and beg him to take me back." She said looking out the window really contemplating going back to Anthony.

"You don't want that. If it's ok with you I'm going to call a contact of mine at CTU and have them look up this Anthony and his father so I know what we are dealing with. After that I'll think of something. I'm going to help you get out of this Jamie." Jack said meaning every word.

"Why do you want to help me so much Jack? Do you want to take them down maybe get the old job back or maybe just a pat on the back? What's in it for you so I know off hand?"

"Nothing." Jack lied it was redemption for all he had ever done for not being there for his own daughter.

"Sure no one ever does anything because they want to be nice there is always another motive behind it." Jamie said bitterly. She was angry, but not at Jack at herself more than anyone else. She had gotten herself into another bad situation like her mom had said she always would.

"Redemption." Jack said flatly. "I was never around for my daughter. You are a little younger than her and you need someone to help. So in order to redeem myself for letting my own daughter down I want to help you. That's why." Jack answered truthfully.

"Why me? I have nothing to offer you. Redemption is not possible. Just helping me won't take the past away or fix anything."

"I know, but I won't feel like such an arshole maybe." Jack let the truth out and felt a weight lifted off his shoulder.

"Thank you. I guess."

"Thank you." Jack said back they were going to help each other fix the mistakes of the past, and hopefully they wouldn't fail.

Jamie became silent after that. She stared out the window at the desolate road. It reminded her of home. Once you got outside the city you were surrounded by corn fields, and soy bean fields. It was a dramatic change. She didn't feel like talking so she closed her eyes as if she were asleep, maybe Jack would just let her be for awhile if he thought she was asleep. She use to do the same thing when she was a child. She'd hear her mom and dad fighting, she'd be on the couch or in their bed and she'd just close her eyes praying they'd stop and not bother her, just let her sleep there. She listened the music that was playing she needed something to take her mind off her current state.

_I meant a girl who hated the world_

_She used her body to sell her soul_

_Every time they break her and pay_

_Tear out her heart and leave her in pain_

_I never found out how she survived_

_All of the sadness she kept inside_

_I never found out how she could lie_

_With a smile on her face and the scratches she hide_

_You could love her if you paid_

_You could have her every day_

_You could love her if you pray_

_You could have he every way_

This was not the song she wanted to hear. It felt to her like a story of her life. It only brought back the problems in her life. Who could say they were nineteen and had the Aryan Nation after them? Not many people, but she could. She thought to herself, Jamie this isn't the time to be self loathing. She formed a plan she would follow through with this one, it wasn't going to be like the others. She had to follow through. Jack didn't know what he was getting into and she couldn't have his blood on her hands.

She had to much of that now.

_Down on her knees she wept on the flour_

_This hopeless life she wanted no more_

_Dead in her mind and cold to the bone_

_She opened her eyes and saw she was alone_

_She never found out how much I tried_

_All of the sadness she kept made me blind_

_She never found out how much I cried_

She opened her eyes it was night now. The sudden change from day to night occurred in the time she had her eyes close. It always amazed her how the day and night could change that quick. "Can we stop somewhere to eat?" She asked finally speaking.

"Sure." Jack said looking at the signs on the road. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Anywhere. I'm not to picky."

"I'll stop at the next restaurant we pass." Jack said still formulating a plan. He had to get a hold of people at CTU. He than could better understand what to do next. He had to find somewhere for Jamie to stay while he was trying to solve the problem. Someone he knew he could trust. Most of them had stopped talking to him a long time ago because of his coldness towards them over the past few years. He didn't blame them, but he needed them now to save this poor girl. She was to young to be dealing with

this sort of problem. Jack remembered how he tried so hard to keep Kim shielded from the world Jamie was living in. He had done a good job until Victor Drazen and afterwards it all went to hell, but Kim had never seen as much as this girl must have seen. Jack felt compelled to help her not just redemption, but she needed someone and like himself she didn't have to many people left, so he would fill the void for her.

Jack found a restaurant and pulled into it. "Here we are." He said.

"I'm going to stretch my legs a little. Why don't you go in and eat. I'll join you in a few minutes." Jamie said.

"You don't want company?" Jack asked figuring the answer already.

"I just need to think by myself for awhile. Is that ok?" Jamie asked not wanting to hurt his feelings and hoping he didn't see through her.

"Sure. I'll order you something if you don't mind."

"Sure." She said smiling at him. She got out and walked down the deserted

road. She didn't look back, if she looked back he might see that she was not walking away, but running away. She would walk for a few miles and than try to flag down someone else. Maybe she could get back to Peoria and stay with her grandparents for awhile. He grandpa would keep her safe, he always had.

Jack went into the restaurant feeling something was different he wasn't sure. He sat at a table an older waitress came up. "How can I help you honey? Is it just you tonight?"

"I'll be right back." Jack said feeling something was wrong. He walked outside and didn't see Jamie anywhere. His first thought was somehow they caught up to them, than he knew she was acting different almost as if she had accepted her fate. He ran to his car and drove down the dark road looking for her. He saw someone running down the road and he pulled over quickly. "Jamie?" He yelled out the window.

Jamie looked back to see Jack in the SUV calling her name. She had tears running down her face as she began to run harder.

Jack got out of the SUV and took off after her, "Jamie wait." Jack screamed almost catching up to her. "You can't run from this. You know that."

"I can't just wait around either. You can't help me Jack, no one can. Just give it up. You were a great father to your daughter, you never once hurt her, and that makes you better than most of the fathers I've known. You don't need redemption or anything like that. Call her and talk to her she'll tell you the same goddamn thing."

"What if I just want to help you?" Jack said.

"There's always a catch." She said staring at him her eyes bloodshot.

"I just want to help you. You clearly have no one to help you and I want to help you. That's all no catch."

"Fu(k you Jack. Go away and get another pet."

"Fu(k me sure. Why not let it out tell me whatever you want I'm still going to help you."

"You are a stupid son of a b!tch go away leave me alone." She screamed at him almost as if she were going to attack him.

"Yeah and then some. I 'm still going to help you." Jack said watching as she let the feelings she had kept inside for so long out.

"Leave me alone please. Just go back to you nice normal suburban life."

"My life is far from nice and normal. Now are we finished or do you feel you need to scream a few more obscenities at me?"

Jamie looked at him and felt like laughing, she started to laugh hysterically something had broken in her mind. "Why me?"

"I already said I wanted to help you. You don't have anyone to help you and I want to help you that's all I don't know why I just do."

"Fine. What's the plan super agent man?"

"I don't know yet. Can we go eat and talk about it. I'm starving."

"Sure." Jamie said smiling through her tears.

When they got back to the diner the same waitress as before waited on them.

She gave Jack a look of concern from his early actions and now having a woman who looked like she had been crying not to long ago. "how may I help you?" She said instead of asking if everything was fine, she had long ago stopped getting to nosy about the customers.

"Coffee and pancakes please." Jack said.

Jamie said, "I'll have the same only soda instead of coffee."

"What type of soda hun?"

"What do you have?"

"Pepsi."

"I'll have a mountain dew than." Jamie said smiling at the woman trying to act as if everything were fine. When the waitresses walked away Jamie slumped into the booth to tired to argue with Jack.

"Do you have anywhere you can go that is safe?" Jack asked.

"My grandparents."

"No that's not good they can easily trace you there. Is there anywhere else?"

"Not really." Jamie said feeling the lack of a social life she had.

"Ok than I'll call and see if an old friend will let you stay with them. They are good people and I know they'll make sure your safe while I'm figuring out how to fix your little problem."

"I don't want you to do it all on your own. I got myself into this I should get myself out."

"Jamie you may have got in with the wrong crowd but as long as you didn't help them you haven't done anything wrong. And laying low for awhile will help you more. Just let me do this it's sort of my job. You can help by giving me information on this Anthony character." Jack said reassuring he knew she wanted to be a major part of this, but she would only get hurt and the thought of seeing her get hurt was something he didn't want to think about. He saw himself, a younger version of himself in her, and even some of Kim in her. He wanted to help her out like people had not done for him.

They finished there pancakes and Jack paid for the food. He walked back

out to the SUV and called his contact at CTU, or at least he hoped they still worked there. The phone rang a few times before the familiar voice answered, "CTU Almeida speaking."

"Which Almeida is this?" Jack said jokingly. "Kind of sounds like Tony,

but he always did sound like a chic."

"Jack." Michelle said recognizing the voice, he was in a good mood. "You

know if Tony hears this he'll get a little pissed."

"How will he hear if you don't tell him?" Jack said into the phone.

"What's the call about personal or business? I doubt personal unless Jack

Bauer has done a full three sixty."

"Business. I need your help. A friend of mine ran into some trouble.

Could you look up an Anthony Thur and his father, he's possibly the leader

of the Aryan Nation."

"Yes he is we have a long file on them both. What's this about Jack?"

"I don't want to talk over the phone. Are you still living at the same house?"

"Yeah."

"I'll meet you there when you guys get off work and explain what's happening. I have one more favor to ask too." Jack paused looking at Jamie who was inside the SUV defeated look on her face.

"What is it?" Michelle said wondering what else Jack could want from her.

"My friend needs a safe place to stay for awhile. Kim's not really talking to me so I can't ask her."

"Sure Jack. We have a guest bedroom your friend can stay in. What type of friend are we talking bout Jack?" Michelle teased.

"She's only nineteen Michelle."

"I thought you older men loved those nineteen year olds."

"I'm going to act like you didn't say that Michelle. We'll be there by tomorrow morning we're kind of far off right now."

"See you than. Stay out of trouble too." Michelle said hanging the phone up.

Tony walked up to her, "Who was that?"

"Jack."

"Bauer?"

"Yeah he needs some help. Someone he knows in trouble and he needs our help. We're going to have a guest for a few days too. They should be in tomorrow sometime."

"Great. Jack needs help why do I think that my job isn't so safe anymore?"

"Hey you brought the last close call on yourself there Tony." Michelle said joking about Tony's close call with almost getting charged with treason but Jack and Palmer stepped in to stop that before anything major came of it. Tony got a slap on the wrist and a demotion, which in the end worked out for the better.

Jack told Jamie of his plan. She didn't say anything she long ago gave up

fighting with Jack, she just didn't care anymore anything that was coming was coming and she couldn't stop it. "Great." She said not really excited.

Jack drove through the night at tops speeds determined to get back to L.A. as soon as possible to handle the problem. He stopped at a rest stop to get some coffee and than continued on. When he looked over Jamie was asleep and he watched her and noticed how she still had a child like look to her. Jack felt as if he had been able to take all those years back and be with Kim again.

Jack started to feel sleep overcome him. He tried to keep his eyes open but

it was getting hard with the slight noise of the outside calming him more. He pulled over for a moment and stretched. He looked through Jamie's CD's he hoped she didn't mind but he needed something to keep him awake, and not give him a headache. To his surprise he found a Blues Traveler CD and was delighted as he loved the group. He put the CD in and turned it up some. He drove off flipping through the songs to find one to listen too.

_If Cyrano De Bergerac_

_Fell prey to the blades of fifty men_

_With a heart and a sword he'd drive them back_

_Perchance to see Roxanne's eyes light up the sky again_

_And when beauty kind and full of grace_

_Again denied the beast her hand_

_The beast he turned and hid his face_

_And tried with all his might and magic to understand_

_And once upon a time_

_You know I used to wondery why_

_You know no one should need to cry_

_In pain of a heart forbade to fly_

_But you learn to say goodbye_

_As you whisper beneath a sigh_

Jack cleared the sleep out of his eyes as he drove. The song was soothing, but at the same time made him think, which helped him stay awake. He drove through the night. He saw a sign they were only 25 miles off from L.A. he looked at the speedometer and saw he was going 100 mph. He slowed down to the speed limit and listened the lyrics.

_Sweet pain_

_Can't you plainly see?_

_Sweet pain_

_You know it matters to me_

_Sweet pain_

_Won't you make me feel at home?_

_Sweet pain_

_Don't you dare leave me alone_

_Sometimes a life that seems hard to take_

_Is soothed for a while by an old friend_

_Leaving a bad need in its wake_

_Sad how, some friendships never ever seem to end_

_Well all of my heroes up and died_

_Songs and a dream are left for me_

_What did them in, not suicide_

_Just a lengthy friendship and a dream of hot it could be_

He laughed at the lyrics, Just a lengthy friends ship and a dream of hot it could be. He had always found some of the lyrics to be weird, but especially when he didn't observe them further. He was almost there he told himself to stay awake a little longer.

_And isn't it a crime?_

_Was it more than they could bear?_

_You know they did not even care_

_At all and they might have something there_

_But I'm here and I don't see where_

_All I hear is their silent prayer_

He opened his phone and dialed Michelle and Tony's home number.

Michelle answered the phone, she had been in a deep sleep when she heard it ring and she knew Tony wouldn't wake up to answer it. She use to joke with him that a ugler could still the bed and Tony would sleep through it.

"Hello?"

"Sorry Michelle if I woke you. We are almost there."

"Ok. I'll get up and set up the guest room for you and the couch. You could probably use some sleep before you tell me what this is all about."

"Thanks Michelle."

"No problem Jack."

_Sweet pain_

_Is it so terribly wrong?_

_Sweet pain_

_To want to come along_

_Sweet pain_

_Won't you make me smile?_

_Sweet pain_

_If only for a while_

_Can you feel what I feel?_

_So we can establish that the pain is real_

_Don't be afraid and I'll do the same for you_

_And we'll just hang on and we'll make it, make it through_

_There's got to be a reason it works out this way_

_And there's something deep inside me_

_That makes me have to play_

_For you_

_For you_

Jack drove into the city still fighting off sleep. He decreased his speed even more. Even though it was night the traffic was still horrible. He didn't miss the traffic, though oddly enough he missed the smell. He started to sing with the music lightly to keep himself awake.

_In no position to give advice_

_My heart it spoke and I wrote it down_

_And you know every wisdom has its price_

_My head up in the stars_

_And my feet planted firmly on the ground_

_When will I embrace this life I see?_

_I've been wondering for so long_

_Thinking back, the truth may be_

_I've been unaware but I've been living it all along_

_And it didn't cost a dime_

_And it did not come for free_

_It just would not let me be_

_But it never conquered me_

_Just a doorway and a key_

_And I think that we both agree_

_Sweet pain_

_Is sometimes what you need_

_Sweet pain_

_It allows the blood to bleed_

_Sweet pain_

_From the moment of your birth_

_Sweet pain_

_You know it keeps you here on Earth_

Jack arrived at Tony and Michelle's house. He put the SUV in park and got out. Michelle opened the door to the house to greet him. He put his finger to his mouth to warn her to be quiet he didn't' want to wake Jamie. He walked to the passenger side of the car and gently put his arms under her sleeping frame. He carefully carried her inside the house every step he worried he was going to wake her. Michelle led him to the guest room where he lay her on the bed, after Michelle pulled the covers back.

They left her to sleep, and once they were down the hall Michelle asked, "Do you want to tell me what this is all about now?" She was a little wired to sleep.

"Can I sleep some. I'll tell you first thing in the morning." Jack said.

"Sure. I'm sorry. I made the couch bed up for you. See you in the morning." She left Jack to find his way to the couch. Once he hit the bed Jack fell asleep without a problem, the dreams didn't haunt him this night. He slept easily for once.

Jack awoke early the next morning when Tony was holding a hot cup of coffee under his nose. When Jack opened his eyes he almost jumped seeing Tony standing there. He sat up and said, "God Michelle how do you wake up to him every morning it's almost as bad as a Wes Craven horror movie."

"Thanks Jack." Tony said handing him the cup of coffee, "You aren't all that great yourself." Tony quipped back.

"Nice to see someone's cheerful this morning." Michelle said walking in. "So are you going to tell us the story now?"

"What story?" Jack asked drinking the coffee. Tony purposely put it in another Cubs mug. He knew Jack was a Dodgers fan and would at any chance he got rub the cubs in his face, even if Jack quipped back that they hadn't won a world series in forever, and when they did if they had a special deal that if you were a live when the cubs won their last world series you got in free, they'd be pretty sure not to loose to much money on that since most of the people were already dead from that era.

"Come on. Before she wakes up." Michelle said looking at Jack wondering what the girl meant to him.

"She's a teenager she'll be up around three o'clock in the afternoon." Tony said smiling at Michelle before he leaned in to kiss her.

"I picked her up outside of L.A. a few days ago. Her car broke down and I was just going to help her get it going again or towed but she just wanted to get out. I didn't want to take her at first but than she just, I don't know."

"She just what Jack?" Michelle said worried about what she just might have done. Not that she thought Jack would ever do anything with someone that young, but you never knew.

"She reminded me of Kim." Jack said looking to the ground in shame sure Tony would say something smart about that. When he didn't Jack looked back up and continued on, "Everything was going fine until last night. Someone called my cell phone, she said it was an Anthony Thur. I guess his father . . ."

Michelle cut Jack off CTU had been investigating the group as domestic terrorist, "He's the leader of the Aryan Nation."

"I guess. Well she was going out with Anthony and I guess he was to happy that she left. After the call she freaked out, and I promised her I'd help her some how. I guess they are going to kill her, she saw to much or heard to much and is a threat to them if she's not with Anthony who seems like a general psycho by himself."

"I knew when you called last night Bauer you were deep into some terrorist trouble. Do you have like a magnetic field that just attracts them, or do you call them every once in awhile and say, 'hey I'm sort of bored lets do something." Tony joked at first but when he saw the look on Jack's face he said, "I was kidding Jack. What do you need us to do?"  
  
"That's it I don't know anything about them. I have no connections with CTU, and no way of getting information. If I could just get what you have and maybe I could come up with something."

Michelle thought about it. Technically Jack was not allowed to have that information, but it was Jack Bauer. The man who had helped this country so much and held a lot of the countries dirty little secrets as memories. She could get in trouble for it, but every time she helped Jack she was bound for some type of trouble she had learned that the first day she meant him. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks Michelle." Jack said smiling at her. He had always liked her, from the very first day he meant her, even if it was a really crappy day.

"I got to go to work before I'm late. Why don't you stay here make yourself at home Jack."

"Thanks Michelle."

"I'll call you around lunch time and if I can I'll smuggle some of the documents out for you to read over. Than tonight we can figure out what to do." Michelle said.

"Great." Jack smiled at her.

She thought to herself, this might have been the first time she ever saw him smile and she had known him for quite some time now.

Jack paced around the house most of the morning. He wasn't use to waiting around for information. When he was at field op's he thought to himself, _But your no longer there Bauer_. He was so bore he didn't know what to do.

Jamie awoke and looked around she wasn't sure where she was. She sat up in bed and studied the room she had never seen it before. She got out of the bed and walked out into the hallway she still didn't recognize it and was not sure how she got there. She walked down to what she assumed would be the living room. She found Jack pacing the floor.

"Where are we?" She asked shocking him out of his deep thoughts.

"A friend's house. Tony and Michelle Almeida I use to work with them."

"Oh."

"Don't worry they are helping us. We will figure out what to do tonight."

"So we are just going to stay here till than?"

"Yeah." Jack said.

"Ok." Jamie sat on the couch already bored.

"What's wrong?" Jack noticed a look on her face.

"Nothing." She didn't want to complain he was helping her so much.

"No what's wrong?"

"I'm bored." She said smiling at him.

"We can solve that. I hear that teenagers especially female teenagers like to go shopping."

"I'm not your typical female teenager and that won't work on me." She smiled at him for his effort.

"Ok how about I take you to rent a few movies. I have to go do something later, but you could watch movies."

"Yeah I wanted to see Kill Bill, but never could because they hated the director."

"Ok I'll go rent those bring them back along with some Subway. And you can watch movies while I run out to find someone."

"Sounds like fun." She said slightly uncomfortable in the strangers house.

Jack left and returned twenty minutes later with both volumes of Kill Bill and Subway. He helped Jamie get them going and than left her with his cell phone number. He drove to where Tony had told him, after a phone call, where Kim and Chase were living now. Jack sat outside the SUV getting up the nerve to walk up to the door. He had not seen them since he cut Chases hand off.

He watched as Chase walked out of the house and got into his car to go wherever. Jack knew they had the day off because Tony had told him. Jack walked up to the door a minute later and knocked. He heard Kim walking up to the door with a little girl in her arms.

Kim opened the door and her mouth dropped open to see her father. "Dad?"

"Sorry I haven't called in awhile." He smiled at her.

"I missed you so much." She smiled at him. "Where have you been?"

"I went on a little trip." He said not wanting to get into the full details of rehab than his trip that ended abruptly.

"Well I'm glad to see you. Come in let me got put Angela down." Jack walked in and studied the house. It was clean and nice. He stood uncomfortably for awhile.

Kim hugged him when she came back in. "Are you going to go back to work?"

"Probably not. I think I'm done with CTU. Though I am working on something." Jack said.

"What possibly could you be working on if you just got back from a trip?"

Jack began the story of how he meant Jamie. He made sure to let Kim know he was only out to help her. He wasn't sure what his daughter would think of him, and especially if he's carting around someone younger than her.

"Oh." Kim said when he finished.

"Michelle is helping me."

"Where is she now?"

"At Tony and Michelle's house. WE got in late last night and probably will stay there till I figure out how to solve the problem."

"how might you do that?"

"I don't know. How about we all go out to diner tonight? I would love for you to meet her she a very nice young lady."

"Uhm Sure. Chase has been wanting to see you."

"how's his arm?" Jack asked looking to the ground in shame.

"He's getting most of the movement and some feeling back slowly. He's not mad at you. He actually feels bad for putting you in that position dad. That's why he wanted to see you."

"He shouldn't be. I never should have. . ." Jack trailed of he didn't know what he never should have done, chopped Chase's hand off, than an entire school full of children would be infected as well as himself and his team, and not having Chase on the case they might not of found the virus in time. "I better get back to the house. Call me on my cell phone and we can set up a time."

"Sure. Bye Dad." Kim said not wanting to let him leave. "Please don't disappear again."

"I won't. I'm sorry." He kissed the top of her head as he hugged her goodbye.


	8. Chapter 8

Jamie had long since got bored with the movies. It had been a few hours and Jack had not called or been back yet. She looked in the mirror and saw herself looking back at her. She had hated herself for so long, she still couldn't stand to look at herself. She was never good enough at anything, but screwing up she was the best at. She found her disk man and a CD.

_The day's really around the bend_

_Pain and misery my only friend_

_I raise a toast and I salute the end_

_Six feet in the ground where the living begins  
I got to get on with living or get the hell on with dying_

_Shove million dollars in my pocket but there ain't no pacifying me_

_Anyone can see, what's happening to me_

_My life's out of reach of my arms but I'm holding on_

_I'm living in a dream and no one hears me scream _

_I'm breaking at the seams of my life but I'm holding on_

_I've created a world that Is devoid of love_

_I'm praying to God and up to heaven above_

_My heart and my should have turned to push and shove_

_It's enough to kill me but it's never enough_

The song didn't help much, but she got her mind of her petty issues back onto the big one. She turned the song back on and sang with it bored with nothing to do but think. She hated thinking it never helped out. Thinking wasn't good it was evil with thinking came the doubts and pains of the past she had run from for so long.

Tony walked into the house and he heard her singing. He tried to make some noise as to not scare her when he was behind her, but she couldn't hear him over the head phones. He was walked into the kitchen and started dinner. He knew when Michelle got home she would be tired. He was cooking when he walked out into the living room and saw the girl, she looked so sad. The way she looked reminded him of someone he knew, he just couldn't put his finger on it. He walked up to her and tapped her shoulder.

Jamie jumped when she felt someone tape her shoulder. She took the head phones off and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so loud."

"Oh no you were find. I just wanted to know if you had anything specific you wanted for supper?"

"Um no not really. You want me to help you?"

"You now how to cook?" Tony asked.

"I've been cooking ever since I could reach the stove." She smiled at him.

"Well than you have to be better than me. I'll assist you." He smiled.

"Sure where is the kitchen?" She smiled at him.

"Follow me. What are you listening to?"

"Saliva."

"That's a name of a group?"

"Yes." Jamie laughed at his ignorance of new music.

"Ok so put it on the stereo and let's hear this Saliva." Tony said.

"Oh I'm sure you won't like them."

"Try me." Tony challenged.

Jamie walked over to the CD player and with the help of Tony they had it playing in no time. She flipped through some of the songs till she got to one she liked and she went to the kitchen to start cooking.

"Where is Jack?" Tony asked as he stirred the tomato sauce.

"I don't know he said he had to do some stuff this afternoon."

"Oh. Probably just poking his noise around town." Tony said turning the sauce off.

They had been talking about the Cubs, both being from the Illinois and in the northern part they both had a love for the Cubs. Michelle walked in and heard them and just groaned, "Another Cub's fan. When will you learn that next year isn't coming. They are never going to win."

"That's just what you non fans believe. You got to have faith they are getting better slowly."

"Yeah by time our grandchildren are dead they'll win."

"They'll still win." Tony said smiling.

Jamie just watched and smiled courteously.

"Hi Jamie. I'm Michelle." Michelle said when she finally set all of her stuff down and walked in.

"Hello." Jamie said still smiling even though she was really uncomfortable around her because she didn't know them.

"Jack called he'll be back in a few minutes. Supper almost done?" She asked smelling the aroma of the food. "You must have cooked or supervised because Tony burns everything."

"Hey." Tony said smiling, "At least my food is edible."

Jamie laughed, "What neither of you can cook?"

"There is a reason why I went to work for the government." Michelle said, "It wasn't because I loved to cook."

Jamie laughed at her even if it wasn't really funny.

"Why don't you set the table Tony while I talk to Jamie some."

"Sure make me do it." Tony said rolling his eyes and walking out of the room.

Jamie felt uncomfortable about being one on one with Michelle.

Michelle began, "I just wanted to let you know not to worry. Jack and the rest of us are going to work real hard to help you. You must have reached Jack because he was almost ready to come back to CTU just to help you."

"Thanks." Jamie said looking at the ground. "I never meant to get into this. It's just." She stopped she was tired of making excuses. Her bad childhood, her horrible mother that later in life started to care, her asshole father that died, her troublesome friends, they all helped but in the end she made the decisions.

Michelle understood and put her arm around the stranger who she felt twinge a little. "Let's go eat." She said smiling.


	9. Chapter 9

After supper Jamie walked back to the room she was now occupying. She found her disk man and put a CD in putting the head phones on. She listened to the music and try to let it sooth her.

_You tried so hard to be someone_

_That you forgot who you are_

_You tried to fill some emptiness _

_until all you had spilled over_

_Now everything is so far away_

_That you don't know where you are_

_You are_

_But all that you wanted_

_And all that you have_

_Don't seem so much_

_For you to hold on to_

_For you to hold on to_

_For you to belong to _

Jamie felt the music talk to her, it did sometimes, she would laugh when she tought about it, but it did. Sometimes it just seemed other peoples words could express how she felt at that time. She used her music to tell her life, she had not been able to write her own music for quite some time it always was just bad so she quit. Now she listened to it the words touching her. Her life being told by one song, by people she had never talked to or even meant, or possibly even been in the same city, state, or country of.

Jack walked into the room and saw her staring at the wall. He leaned against the door frame he could hear the music over the headphones. He almost thought to himself, but stopped himself early on because it would make him old, "Kids and their loud music today." He smiled at the thought of feeling old, he was old, with a lot of regrets to carry along with the years that added up. He heard the music and though.

_When it's hard to be yourself_

_It's not to be someone else_

_Still everything is so far away_

_That you forgot where you are_

_You are_

_But all that you wanted_

_And all that you have_

_Don't seem so much_

_For you to hold on to_

_For you to hold on to_

_Hold on X 9_

He did not have anything left to live for. Kim and his relationship was stressed at best, she still was angry with him no matter what she said, and she would always blame him for her mothers death. He closed his eyes and felt the old pains come back, he tried to block them. He had something now, he would help her out. He would get Jamie out of this situation and than maybe help her get back on track. He had a mission again, something to hold on to, something to belong to. It might not seem much but it was enough to get him through the day, week, month and horrible years.

Jamie noticed him in the doorway and jumped started. She wiped the few tears that streamed down her face and took the headphones off the music still playing in the back ground. "I didn't see you there Jack."

"Sorry to startle you. I just wanted to check on you before I go out."

"Where are you going?" Jamie asked worrying.

"We got a location on them and a team is going in. Seems he have some good reasons to want them in custody and we are going to use that." Jack said.

"But you are going with them I thought you were through with CTU?"

"I was, but I wanted to go to make sure it all went smoothly. Tony will stay here with you while I'm gone."

"OK. Thanks Jack. I know you don't have to do this, nor did you have to give a damn, but you did, and that means a lot to me. Thank you for helping me."

"I gave someone some advice one time and I never followed it, but I'm going to give you the same advice. One thing about getting a second chance is accepting and facing the mistakes from before and trying to make sure they never happen again." He smiled at her, "I'll see you in a few hours." Jack walked out of the room.

_But all that you wanted_

_And all that you have_

_Don't seem so much_

_For you to hold on to_

_For you to hold on to_

_For you to belong to _

Jack and the team had parked outside the small compound outside L.A. Jack was ready to go they were just waiting on the green light. As soon as Michelle gave the go ahead everyone rushed towards the house, the plan written and orally rehearsed multiple times on the way there until everyone knew where everyone else would be every second of the siege. Jack cleared the rooms until they came upon one where most of the Aryan Nation followers sat. Jack searched the room for Anthony not seeing him Jack called over the radio no one had seen him. A sudden cold rush ran through Jack, that had been way to easy.

Jack rushed back to Tony's house. He searched the house and there was no sign of anyone. Michelle had called him with the same revelation, "I'm on my way wait for me Jack. I have Adam tracing them now."

Jack sat on the steps when Michelle walked in he was holding his head in his hands. "How could I have been so stupid?" He said weakly.

"Jack none of us could have known."

"It was to easy Michelle we should have known." Jack grabbed his cell phone as it was ringing. "Bauer." He said in a strong voice.

"Bauer interesting. Would you like the man back?"

"Let me speak to them."

"In due time. My son has been telling me some really interesting things about this man name Jack who's stole his girlfriend from him."

Jack heard Jamie scream in the background and he felt his blood run cold. He could only guess what they were doing to her. "No that's now how it happened. I was only helping her she a young girl and she needed help."

"Sure Jack we all like them young." The man said bantering Jack. "Here is the deal you can have the man back. All you have to do is show up."

"Where at?" Jack asked already willing to go.

"Just stand outside. Someone will pick you up. I wouldn't advice any of your CTU people to follow us it might get messy."

"Fine." Jack said standing up. He looked at Michelle, "Don't follow us whatever you do. I'll get Tony back for you." Jack walked out of the house the cell phone to his ear still. "Let me talk to Jamie."

"Not really she's busy Anthony is showing her some nice hospitality don't worry." The man smiled as he heard Jamie scream for Jack to help her.

Jack was holding his phone so tight that he felt it digging into his hands and he started to fear he'd crush it at any moment. He saw the car pull up in front of the house and he walked over getting in. He hung the phone up and the man in the driver seat said, "Gun."

Jack handed him his gun and the man took it and stick it between the seat and the door on the driver side. He took off again going in circles for awhile to make sure no one was following them. He drove Jack to a small house that was secluded. Jack got out and walked up to the front of the house. He heard Jamie scream again and it took all his strength not to barge in. He walked inside his eyes taking awhile to adjust to the smoky environment. A bald man with a swastika tattooed on his scalp smiled at Jack. Jack assumed he was Antohny's father. "Where is Tony?"

"Oh you mean the spic. He's around back."

"Let him go. That was part of the deal." Jack said looking at the man that was obviously bigger and stronger than Jack who looked almost like a midget standing by the man.

The man moved quick to as he threw a punch that made Jack's jaw pop and blood fly out of his mouth as his head whipped to the side from the force. "You don't order me get that now."

Jack had his hands against the wall to steady himself. He stood back up licking the blood from his lip and glared at the man. The man smiled and said, "Let's go around back and visit him." When they got to the back Jack saw Tony hanging from the tree by his neck. Jack rushed over and lifted Tony up by his legs. "Please let him down. We had a deal." Jack said making sure not to form the request as a command.

"Yes we did. And I keep my word." The man walked over and cut the rope. Jack and Tony stumbled to the ground. Jack noticed Tony was bleeding he must have been shot or stabbed. They both sat up and Tony sat gasping for breath. "Tony get out of here." Jack said finally standing up and helping Tony up untying Tony's hands. "Go now." Jack said when he didn't move automatically.

Anthony's father said, "You got to tell the spics a few times. Thez some dumb sons of a bitches."

Tony glared at him and was going to go after him when Jack stood in the way, "Tony go home. Michelle is waiting for you." Jack pushed him back and watched as Tony took off limping out of there. Jack waited until he was out of site when he finally turned back to the current situation. Jack looked at the man and asked, "Where is Jamie?"

"She is inside." The man said looking at Jack. He was thinking about what he should do to the man before him. Clearly Jack seemed to be of pure blood, blonde hair blue eyes a proper Aryan, who just happened to fight on the wrong side, but there was still the problem of killing a fellow Aryan. The man looked at the two men on either side of him and ordered, "Restrain his hands."

Jack let the men tie his hands behind his back and allowed himself to be pushed inside the house. He was wondering why they hadn't killed him yet, why was he still alive. He was pushed into a small room he saw a small figure lying on the floor curled up in a fetal position. Jack rushed over to her, it was Jamie clearly beaten. "Oh god Jamie." Jack said kneeling down by her. He couldn't help her as his hands were tied behind his back. He heard the door opened and he turned to find Anthony and his father walk in. Jack stood back up blocking them from getting to Jamie on the floor.


	10. Chapter 10

Anthony smiled at Jack, "So you are the son of a bitch that took Jamie away and made her do all this crazy shit?"

Jack glared at him, if Jack's hands weren't tied behind his back he would have attacked the asshole already. Seeing Jamie lying on the floor clearly beaten made him want to rip the kid apart limb by limb.

Anthony's father walked over and saw Jamie on the floor and smiled at Jack, "That piss you off."

Jack never took his glare off Anthony, but he did brace himself as he saw out the corner of his eye the father getting ready to his him in his open ribs. Jack stumbled some, but remained on his feet and kept any sign of pain off his face. The father grabbed a fist full of Jack's hair and pulled his head back almost making Jack lose his footing. "Are you going to speak to me when I ask you a question?"

Jack glared at him and answered, "Yes that piss's me off that some low life asshole can't get it up so he has to beat up on his girlfriend." Jack was bracing himself for another punch but it never came from the father, Jack was actually shocked when he heard the father laughing.

"Yeah it is pretty pathetic. I tried to teach him not to hit women, but you know kids don't you federal Agent Jack Bauer." The man looked at him.

Jack wasn't sure if that was a threat or just a comment. His mind took it as a threat and was already trying to work out what could have happened.

The son came over quickly and ran a fist hard into Jack's stomach winding Jack, but not making him lose his footing. Jack bent over to catch his breath and stood back up still trying to catch his breath. Anthony hit Jack again this time in the face breaking open Jack's skin with a ring he had on his finger. Jack spit blood out of his mouth and smiled.

Anthony went to attack him again when his father grabbed him and said, "Enough. He's not some monkey."

Anthony glared at his father, "He's a federal agent same difference."

Anthony was taken out of the room by his ear getting a lecture on the difference between decent federal agents and the other kind of people. Jack leaned against the wall and looked over at Jamie who was still unconscious. He was worried about her, but there was nothing he could do now except keep their attention off her.

---

Michelle was at CTU when she got a phone call from Tony. "Where are you?"

"At a pay phone in the valley." Tony said looking around for the men who had him early coming to finish him off.

"Where is Jack?" Michelle inquired.

"With them." Tony felt bad about leaving Jack, but he had ordered him to go.

"I'm going to get a team over to where you are at do you think you could lead them back to where Jack was?"

"I'd get satellite coverage first Michelle. The place was like an army base."

"I'll see what I can do. I'll get someone to pick you up." She talked to him while he waited for a police officer from that area to pick him up she was working on getting satellite coverage but she was afraid to get off the phone with him incase the people came back there was no way they were just going to let him walk away if he knew where they were at.

---

Jack was still leaning against the wall when the door opened again and Anthony walked in with a few other boys his age. Each of them had a base ball bat or a golf club in their hands. Jack felt his heart race a little faster at the prospect of what they would be used as.

"My father went to go finish off your friend. He gave him a nice little head start thought it was fair in all he gave the Mexican a head start." He was a few inches from Jack smiling at the older man. Jack had little time to brace himself as the bat came swinging into his stomach this time knocking the wind out of him and knocked him off his feet to the ground. He held back the scream of pain, but he could not hold back the features on his face as he gasped for breath and felt himself gag.

"What did you call me earlier?" The boy said stepping on Jack's shoulder with his foot, keeping Jack from rolling over and sitting up. "A low life scum or something like that." Anthony swung the bat down hard hitting Jack in the back this time getting a groan of pain. The other boys walked over and joined him as they started to kick and punch Jack in the back the side anywhere they could hit him. Anthony stopped them after a few minutes and bent down next to Jack and smiled at the pain he saw on his face, "See I don't just need women." Anthony punched Jack in the face cutting his left eyebrow with the ring.

Jamie heard a few cries of pain from Jack as she slowly came around when she sat up she saw Anthony kneeling next to Jack a bat next to him. He was holding Jack's head up saying something to him.

Jack spoke slowly, "No you need a person restrained and women that makes it a hole lot better."

Anthony thought about crashing Jack's head into the ground, but than he knew he could take this old man. "Fine." He moved back and untied Jack hands. "Let's go." He said standing up.

Jack slowly pushed himself up and looked at the four people in the room, no one noticing Jamie was awake and sitting up yet. Jack prepared himself, this was his chance to get Jamie out of here as well as himself. Anthony came at him with the bat swinging hard Jack caught it in his hand blocking the pain out and yanked it from the young man, sending a hard punch into the kids stomach winding him and sending him to the ground with a cry of pain. The others stood there before they came at Jack with their weapons in hand. Jack had blocked the first two boys with weapons that came at him, but while he was busy trying to disarm one of them the final boy came and sent a gulf club crashing into the side of Jacks head.

Jamie cried out as she saw the gulf club connect to the side of Jack's head, a weird wet noise accompanying the cry of pain as Jack fell to the ground. Blood already pouring out of the side of his head onto the ground. The boys stood up and looked down at the man on the ground with blood pouring out of a gash in his head caused by the gulf club. Anthony walked over and saw it, and knew at that moment he would be in serious trouble with his father. He kicked Jack in the back a few times to make sure he would stay down before they left the room to create a story. He saw Jamie in the corner and said, "If you say how this happened other than the story I tell my father I will kill you." He left the room and the boys talked outside making up a plausible story.

Jamie rushed over to Jack who's eyes were closed. She felt to make sure he was breathing. She didn't know what to do so she ripped a piece of his shirt off and placed it against the hold in his head that was leaking. She tried to stop the bleeding but it would not stop flowing steady out of the wound. She was worried because even when Anthony kicked him in the back there was no sound of him not even a groan or a grunt no sign that he felt or even registered the hit, she wasn't sure if he was unconscious at the time or not. Her hand was covered in blood when Anthony's father came in the room pissed off.

He saw her kneeling by the federal agent her hand covered in blood and the blood on the ground and he turned to Anthony pissed off, "How did this happen?"

"She helped him free his hands and he was trying to escape. He fought us and we tried to stop him he got the bats from the other guys and one of them sent a gulf club into his head. He fell to the ground out of it." It had quite a few of holes that Anthony was ready to feel in if needed he had the story in his head, and so did the others they went over and over it making sure the correct evidence of a struggle was relayed by the boys' faces. Anthony was sporting a new black eye thanks to one of the others.

"Get away from him." Anthony's father ordered walking over to where Jack lay unconscious. He looked at his head and shook his own. "Go get a bucket of water and a towel."

Anthony ran out of the room and returned a few minutes later with what his father had ordered. The father put the rag in the water and rung it out. He pressed it against the wound that was still bleeding he was able to clear the blood away enough to see the small gouge in the head. He pressed the rag against the agents head hard and waited for the blood to soak through after about ten minutes the wound stopped bleeding. He grabbed the agent off the floor and pushed his head into the water.

Jack felt the cold water around his face and slowly came around he fought to push his head out of the water once he was conscious and was allowed up. Jack lay on the ground gasping for breath his face screwed already in pain from his head. It felt like a elephant was stepping on his head squashing it. Jack looked around confused still gasping for breath.

The older man looked down at the agent and said, "You are lucky you're not dead." He turned Jack onto his back again resecuring his hands, and this time his feet also. He left him on the floor and looked at Jamie, "You come with me."

Jack tried to protest but got a kick in the kidneys to quiet him. "No one was speaking to you. I should kill you." Anthony's father was pissed at the agent his son had shown him the bruise on his face from the agent.

Walter, Anthony's father walked Jamie to another room and locked the door. He returned back to the room the agent was in and walked in, Anthony on his heels the entire time. "You are going to pay more than just that head wound for trying to escape and hitting those boys." He walked over and pulled Jack up. Jack groaned as his head felt like it was compressing on itself. He tried to protest, but was only shushed by a punch to the kidney thanks to Anthony. Walter dragged Jack outside to the back yard where they had Tony hanging earlier. Jack saw the noose and closed his eyes he had expected to die, but not by getting hung, and he knew they would not do it the easy was and snap his neck by letting him drop, no they would make sure that he would suffer a long slow suffocation and most likely die from the elements and not the hanging itself.

Walter walked inside the small barn and with the help of a few other men pulled out a riding lawn mower. A man rolled Jack onto his back and undid his hands resecuring them to the tree. Jack felt the rope on his feet being pulled. He lifted his head even as he felt dizzy and nauseous and the pressure increased, he saw they were tying the rope to the lawn mower, his mind not comprehending what was going on until he was pulled off the ground as the mower was put in reverse. Jack closed his eyes at the prospect of this death, he cursed himself in his head for thinking hanging would have been to harsh.

Walter ordered, "Anthony hold his head up I want to see the pain in his eyes." Walter was the one driving the lawn mower. He smiled as he saw the slight sign of fear in the agents eyes. He reversed the lawnmower slowly watching as Jack's body was stretched more and more. He kept going even after he heard the sound of joints cracking. He smiled as he saw the father he got the more pain registering on Jack's face. He stopped it at the point he was sure if he went any further he would rip limbs off. He put the mower in park and turned it off placing the break on while the others rushed bricks under the wheels so the weight of Jack's body wouldn't drag it forward. Anthony let go of Jack's head and touched his arm harshly, as the muscles and joints where already screaming out from being stretched harshly. Walter ordered, "Leave him." They all walked away, but Walter remained to make sure no one messed with the Agent for the time he left him like this. He smiled as he saw Jack's eyes start to water from the pain.

Michelle had satellite coverage by time Tony got to CTU. The worry instantly coming across her face as she saw him walk in beat up and clearly sore.

"I've traced the route to the place on this map." Tony said handing it to Michelle. "If you got satellite coverage than the teams should go in now. I don't know what they had planned for him." Tony was worried they wouldn't' get there in time.

"We are getting a warrant now." Michelle said knowing it would piss Tony off.

"Fuck the warrant."

"We have to the FBI is stepping in on this." Michelle looked away she knew that would piss Tony off worse.

"They are going to get him killed."

"I can't do anything Tony. Our teams are going to be used though." Michelle had worked that part out they already had their team six miles outside the compound and they were ready to go.

"Who's leading the team?"

"Baker." Michelle answered touching Tony's arm gently, "Don't worry they saw him." Michelle left out how they saw him now, but Tony didn't need to know.

"Alive?"  
  
"Yeah." Michelle answered not looking away it would give away what she was thinking and feeling about how Jack was at the moment.

After what seemed like forever Jack's muscles and joints got a break as Walter moved the bricks away from the riding lawnmower and let it inch forward some. Jack groaned slightly his eyes having been squeezed shut before, he almost felt worse as the pressure come off the joints and muscles. He was sure he had a torn ligment and the muscles in his arms and shoulders were worthless. He knew he'd be lucky to move without pain let alone walking out of there.

Walter untied the ropes and Jack fell the rest of the way to the ground groaning as he hit. Grabbing the rope tied to his hands Walter dragged Jack back into the house the younger men had already started protesting not killing the agent and Walter explained to them after he dropped Jack off in the room, "He is a federal agent. Not some spic, sand nigger or monkey. He is a white federal agent. We don't just kill anyone. That would make us one of them. We will teach him to think properly and if and only if he can't learn than he is a sympathizer and deserves to die. If any of you touch him without my permission again you will get the same thing he got." Walter left them and went to his room for the night.

Jack was on the floor his mind consumed with pain when he heard the first round go off outside. He knew the weapon noise quite well an M-16. He lay on the ground listening to the small battle start outside.

Walter was almost asleep when he heard the first shot. He got out of bed and grabbed the shotgun. He ran down stairs and was just missed as a bullet whizzed into the spot he had been seconds before. He rushed to the room where the federal agent lay. He grabbed the duct tape out of the closet across the hallway and walked in. He helped the federal agent sit up and cut the rope freeing his legs. "Stand up." He growled helping the man to his feet. Jack groaned as weight was put on his sore joints and muscles. He felt a burning pain from both calf muscles and tried to ignore them. He was pushed into a chair and felt the shot gun rest behind his head in the small indentation at the base of his neck and start of his skull. He hated the feeling and cringed as he heard the tape being pulled off the role. Balancing the rifle against Jack, Walter rapped tape around Jack's neck tightly and around the rifle so that the rifled was tapped to jack's head. He put his hand on the trigger and ordered, "Stand up and I would try anything my finger is on this trigger. He thought about tapping his arm to the rifle so if they did take a shot when he fell he'd take Jack with him as he died. He decided to do it and quickly tapped his hand to the rifle. The gun battle outside was quite and someone was coming over a bullhorn for the others to step outside.

Walter pushed Jack forward harshly digging the rifle into Jack's scalp as he thought Jack was not moving quick enough and pushing him slightly. Jack reached the door and saw the agent outside without even being order Jack screamed, "Don't open fire he has the rifle taped to my head and his arm." They emerged from the door for all to see the two men.


End file.
